A judge in Florida has approved the $421,400 Fort Myers personal injury verdict awarded to a 68-year-old woman who got hurt at a Wal-Mart store when she was thrown to the ground by a loaded, motorized stock cart. Janice Morris fractured several pubic bones during the accident and had to take three months off work.

Court documents state that Morris got hurt at the Wal-Mart on Ben C. Pratt/Six Mile Cypress Parkway on Oct. 10, 2009 in the packaged meat section. In her Lee County personal injury complaint, Morris accuses Wal-Mart of failing to properly supervise and train the employee that was operating the cart and neglecting to warn shoppers that there was a potentially hazardous condition inside the store. Morris also contends that the cart did not have an audible beeper and that its operator, Richard Hesson, should have realized that patrons might not hear the cart approaching.

Stores and groceries are responsible for ensuring that the premises are safe for patrons. When failure to prevent or remove hazards causes serious injuries or death, the store owner can be held liable. Other common accidents that can occur at stores: